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| Eating for Activity An important aspect of health is to know how to adjust to the changing circumstances around you. This adjustment occurs on both a mental and physical level. If we accomplish this adjustment to our environment on a physical level, then we have good vitality and a healthfully functioning body. On a mental level, adjusting to the changes around us is called happiness. In a macrobiotic understanding, both health and happiness are related. If our bodies can adapt to either our own changing needs or the changes in the environment, such as the weather, then, both health and happiness can be accomplished. If we are strong and balanced physically, we also have the energy to adapt our mind to the small and big changes of life. It should be said that in my experience personally, and in working with thousands of individuals teaching classes and giving consultations, people can naturally adapt to change if they eat a macrobiotic diet of grains, vegetables, beans and other natural foods. By eating this way, a person’s body becomes more sensitive to making changes in diet which is the main factor that I’ve seen helps a person adapt to all changes in life. In looking at our varying needs, the macrobiotic approach utilizes the principles of change and balance, known as yin and yang, to figure out how to adapt our diets to different sets of circumstances. Yang is the word to describe contraction and the gathering force or qualities in the body and mind. Yin is the word that describes expansion or the expansion force in the body. With these definitions, let’s contrast physical and mental activity. Physical activity is characterized by using up energy (sugars, and fats from the muscles and the body), and breaking down the body (proteins and fats) which results in fatigue. When a person is physically active, he or she requires more calories, or energy, to replace the energy that has been lost from the body and body building elements to support the re-building of the body. From a yin and yang viewpoint, a person who is more physically active needs more concentrated energy rich foods, carbohydrates and fats, which have yin or expansive properties, more building foods with yin or expansive properties, proteins and fats, and foods with yang or contractive properties that aid the rebuilding process. For the athlete or physical worker, this would translate into eating a greater volume of foods (calories or energy) with a little more yin form of carbohydrates for concentrated energy such as sour dough or flat breads, mochi, cracked grains (bulgur or couscous), whole grain pastas, slightly more fruit, and sweeteners such as brown rice syrup, barley malt, amasake rice beverage, apple juice and carrot juice. More fat in the form of sesame or other naturally produced oils, nuts, seeds and nut butters should also be eaten. These can be used in cooking or prepared in dressings. More protein rich foods are also needed to aid in re-building the body. These would include increased volumes of high protein grains such as sweet rice, quinoa, buckwheat, all sorts of beans, moderate amounts of tempeh, and white and fatty fish such as salmon. Some people might need other forms of naturally raised animal foods for increased strength. All of these foods have more expansive properties especially for replacing sugars or glycogen from the muscles and cells, and protein from the muscles. The amounts of the foods eaten for physical activity depend upon the kind and amount of physical activity that one does. In the case of athletes who put out and use up tremendous amounts of energy, more of the food adjustments listed above would be used. People in America involved in strong physical activity generally over eat simple carbohydrates such as white pasta, breads, pastries, sodas, and candies. They rely on large amounts of poor quality animal products. These foods, in excess, will cause a host of health problems. Many world class athletes die in their 50’s because of not developing good eating habits for their sports. Some of the excesses are burned up while they are active, but later many develop into serious health problems. A person who is involved in a more sedentary occupation or activities has to eat for this lifestyle. Due to lack of movement the body relaxes and becomes more yin or expanded which causes the muscles to weaken. The use of the mind in traditional macrobiotic thought requires energy to go up in the body to the head. This can be understood to be a expansive phenomena. More sedentary activity that uses the mind would include teaching, studying, writing, psychological counseling, artist pursuits, etc. The tendency of such people is to get physically weak and develop certain types of illnesses. Dietary adjustments for those who have sedentary occupations or activities would, according to macrobiotic theory, need to make sure that energy is flowing to the head, or in other words, the person has to be lighter, and more relaxed. Food choices would, also, have to compensate for the sedentary activities that lead to weakness (yin). This could be done by being careful of foods that would over stimulate and weaken the body. In the macrobiotic way of eating, these requirements would translate into eating less concentrated energy rich foods such as breads, pastas, flour products, cracked grains, mochi, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and nut butters, and less sweeteners such as amasake rice beverage, apple juice, carrot juice, and rice syrup and barley malt. To be able to sit and think clearly, smaller amounts of hardy, or yang (contractive) foods and preparations such as sea salt, miso, shoyu, longer cooked vegetable and sea vegetables dish would be eaten. Lighter cooking styles such as blanching and steaming, and quick water or oil sautéed vegetable would be consumed. This provides a light, rising energy that aids mental function. Less food in general is suggested because fewer calories are needed. While certain foods should be eaten in less volume, reasonable amounts of foods still need to be eaten to sustain one’s vitality. Again, in modern times, people involved in mental activity eating large amounts of heavy foods such as meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy have to turn to large amounts of stimulants such as coffee and chocolate to be able to stimulate mental activity. In excess, coffee and chocolate will have detrimental effects. These foods and drinks may generate the energy to sit, but can cause a host of health problems if taken excessively. One of the goals of the macrobiotic approach to health is freedom. On one level, this freedom is the ability to do harmoniously what you need or want to do. Knowing how to adjust your food to your varying levels of activities will help.
John Kozinski currently teaches and offers macrobiotic natural health counseling, shiatsu, chi kung, and classes in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Virginia, Connecticut, Chicago, Kansas, Iowa, and at the Kushi Institute in Western MA.
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